Legendary Guardians
by FortySeventhLight
Summary: An alternate look at how FFX could have gone had two roles been reversed. Auron is now the summoner and Yuna is his only guardian. He knows the secrets of Sin and Yevon, but how will that help when complications arise and other people stand in their way?
1. Chapter 1  Prologue

_Le gasp! Why hello there, ! I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaack! Ooo, and with something kinda awesome, in my opinion. lol I've been doing very little fan related work lately due to life constantly badgering me, along with my original story. BUT... finally, a love was reborn, and FFX is to be thanked. XD_

_LG is a story centric on the relationship Auron and Yuna have, and they will be the primary characters I deal with. Additionally, as you may have noticed in the summary, this story is also AU. But don't worry - I'm not writing anything like the stereotypical high school nonsense where say Yuna, as a student, falls in love with Auron, her teacher. lol No, this is a story I plan to put my heart and soul in as I take on the heavy plot of FFX and thus see if I can tweak it some more to accommodate my goals._

_While this story is for entertainment, I have to admit that I'm also writing this as a testament to myself: to say that I can still do this and that my creativity will not die because of life's cruelty. I pray to God that one day I'll have this finished for eager readers._

_Last, but not least - please enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own FFX or any of its lovelies. Drat._

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**Legendary Guardians**

Standing against him – a powerful being born of a man's wish to change the future, but wrought in suffering and terror. Behind him – a reverent entity fostered into celestial radiance to vanquish the forced evil it was levied against, but would soon consume its caller.

He named her "Deliverance", for she was his protector in more ways than one. She loved him sincerely, though she was a child in the eyes of others. She sought to rid Spira of Sin as well, but wished it could have been done a different way. Now, she was transformed into the aeon she never wanted to see take shape, and he was about to fulfill the last of his duties.

He cast one last spell on the corrupted aeon before him and then beckoned for Deliverance to usher judgment on those who dared to oppose it. She threw her wings back, sending a mighty gust of wind behind her and then swooped too high for a human's eyes to observe. As she swept among the stars and clouds, she gathered strength and power of the cosmos to form one massive orb of glory that would vanquish its foe and bring the Calm once more.

The wait was like eons to him, but he cherished these last moments, imagining her face that made all of his worries go away with ease. Deliverance was the embodiment of what he wanted for Spira – to bring more than hope to his people. She would find some way to save them all.

Deliverance came rushing back down on the scene, carrying the forces she had collected on her back and let that power clash with her foe. The dark aeon screeched in agony as it was engulfed in flames both earthly and cosmic – the burning scorched and ripped away more than flesh. The soul that had conjured that force was already fading, much to the disappointment of one young man running to catch the elder one before he fell entirely, emotion stirring so much in the air one could almost taste the others thoughts.

Tidus screamed at the top of his lungs as he reached for his fast-fading father, cradling the man for a few precious moments before he would be gone. He wept shamelessly for the first time in years, muttering words he no longer meant of hatred for his father, but his tears said what he couldn't out loud. This was all the time they had left.

And he didn't have much left either; Deliverance now was staring at him, her glowing white eyes searching hungrily for relief of the pain now taking shape within her. Her lungs seemed as though they were collapsing – the power she had used to conquer her opposition had drained her so much to the point that her very soul seemed to be withering. The soul was screaming for her summoner to not do what he was now charged with, but the body she had was begging for his aid.

"Deliverance… my love, I know what you need. You don't have to be afraid to tell me…" he said gently, walking towards her to gingerly touch one of her wings.

"_No! Don't do it! I'll kill you!"_

He smiled at the feeling of her smooth, heavenly feathers against his skin. If only things had worked out differently, they could have had a better future together. But now he had one last duty to perform, and that was to grant his chosen guardian the means for which she could exist.

Opening his arms, he bade her to take what she required, though he did so with sadness as he heard Tidus weep fervently in the background. He hoped the boy would be all right…

"Come, my dear and take what you desire. You will live on in one way or another. Either way, I trust you to take care of yourself as you always have once I'm gone. You have done well, my beloved guardian."

Against her fighting will, Deliverance wrapped her wings around him and absorbed all that her summoner had to give, his life energy leaving his body and becoming her own. She wrestled with guilt over watching his body being literally torn to shreds under the sheer brutality of her power's feasting. Her new form craved so much for the power to stop feeling pain and she had no control over it whatsoever, despite how horrible it was to watch through eyes that were no longer her own.

Finally, her wretched task was complete and she felt reprieve for a brief second as she began to fade to be called on again soon. As she started to vanish, she saw the party standing there, watching the scene cautiously – one beheld her in fear, another in quiet understanding, and Tidus looked at her with expecting eyes. Deliverance almost felt she was being judged, but he didn't look at her critically – it was a silent communication meant to say that he understood, and yet still felt terrible for the circumstances.

Deliverance couldn't erase his expression and wailed on the inside, which on the outside came as a screech before she faded entirely. The grief was so much to bear and she could no longer do anything about it – not until she was summoned again for whatever purpose it may be.

When Auron and Yuna arrived on the scene, they realized with utter horror that they were too late. Sin had been defeated again only to eventually be reborn – their plans needed to be changed drastically now.

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_Like it? Love it? Oh do tell me, beloved reader! Hate it? Mehhh, be gentle. lol_

_47thlight_


	2. Chapter 2  Arrivals

_I will not bore you with senseless babbling. On goes the story! Enjoy!_

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**Chapter 2 – **Arrivals

"_Auron, would you stand closer to him?" Braska asked after realizing his camera position wouldn't accommodate both is guardians and the travel agency's sign._

_The young guardian sighed, aggravated that he had to bend to the will of this _drunkard _whom Braska had beseeched to accompany them. The man was a disgrace, deplorable and dripped of trouble. But to appease his lord summoner, he obeyed the simple request and took a few steps closer to the man stretching noticeably, as if trying to show off._

"_Good, that should do it!" Braska cheered a little, the sphere capturing the awkward distance kept between the two. He knew Auron disliked his apparent misplaced trust in Jecht, but he had an inclination that Jecht was the one who was misunderstood. From a foreign world, and most likely, time, Braska felt the need to reach out to this stranger in a new setting, even if that meant putting his life at risk. Still, he felt the answers would come to the three of them somehow._

"_What's wrong?" Jecht taunted with his audacious confidence, not realizing he was enticing a barely tamed behemoth to come after him. "Afraid I might bite?"_

_Auron groaned out the man's name, beyond amused at that point, "Jecht…"_

"_Hey Braska!" Jecht said, disregarding Auron's attempt to avoid their journey's first disruption. "You should take one, too! It'd make a great gift for little Yuna!"_

_Braska nodded, the sphere moving with him. "I suppose." He smiled, too, recalling that Yuna had a fondness for Jecht, as well. Jecht seemed to do well with children, unlike Auron who stood stiffly while the summoner's daughter tried to hug him goodbye._

"_My lord," Auron interjected the summoner's reminiscent thoughts, becoming visibly nervous, his sword hand at the ready – most likely to wield against Jecht. "We shouldn't be wasting our time like this."_

"_What's the hurry, man?" Jecht argued, walking out of the sphere's view._

"_Augh!" Auron growled in blatant disgust, intent on beating the cold reality of Spira into Jecht's thick skull. "I'll tell you what the hurry is!"_

**_TEN YEARS LATER_**

Auron was almost always in a hurry – the hustle and bustle of city life bothered him to no end and he hated waiting for Sin to attack again and again. Sin was the struggle of every citizen for Spira, its colossal strength ravaging the shores of villages and terrorizing cities much like his Bevelle with never-ending spawn. Due to its size and great number of warrior monks like him, Bevelle was always able to extinguish threats like Sin spawn with relative ease, but the practice grew wearisome and he vowed to stop it over ten years ago.

Braska and Jecht, his comrades in arms once seen as trifling enemies of Bevelle… they seemed like a distant memory now. He sighed and leaned against the stone wall of the welcome center for pilgrims coming to visit the sacred Yevon temple. Thinking of the past was harder on him than he realized, as it was hard to wrestle and forge into something positive. His memories were times he'd rather forget.

But he couldn't forget Braska's willingness to sacrifice himself for Spira's sake, even when he was so rudely disregarded by the Temple and its followers, and all for marrying an Al Bhed woman? Auron couldn't shake the shame he had for being one of the warrior monks to come and announce the news that the summoner Braska had fallen out of Yevon's favor. And yet… that first time in meeting the humble and gentle man sparked something new in his, at the time, young mind.

Jecht, of course, was the one he didn't want along on this journey of two men becoming close friends. He was an intruder, ruffian and heretic, proclaiming he knew nothing of Yevon, just his Zanarkand and blitzball. The dependence on machina used to sicken Auron the more he heard it, tales of the old Zanarkand falling ill on his ears. But the more he listened and came to understand that Jecht was truly not of their world and that it wasn't just a drunk man's delusion, he accepted the man as more than a comrade. They were brothers, in a sense, and brothers gave their lives for each other every day in Spira's world.

Auron shook his head slightly to rid himself of the regret still fresh in his mind. New things were about to happen and the nearing sails off to the south-west brought him to study the present. He stood up straight and ventured a little closer to the dock, calmly anticipating seeing a familiar form appear on the deck.

When the people bustling to and fro noticed the unfurling of the vessel's flag, they immediately flocked to greet the passengers, as if knowing who exactly was coming all this way to accept Auron's invitation formally. They ignored his presence, as was typical of the Bevellian folk and gathered around the guards stationed to maintain order. A few spare sailors able to get past the crowd worked quickly to extend the wooden platform for the ship's guests to step onto solid ground, taking care in securing it before the passengers eagerly exited the floating transport.

"It's her! It's the high summoner's daughter!"

"Oh, I've always wanted to meet the child!"

"Let me see!"

Auron groaned in frustration as the people were far too quick to gather around the poor girl just arriving into port, desperately wanting to get off the rocking boat and onto solid ground.

Nervously, she tried to politely ask for admittance. "O-oh, I'm flattered… truly! May I please pass and answer your questions shortly?"

The crowd's cheers and questions drowned out her own plea and she sighed in defeat, but the towering presence of her bodyguard overwhelmed the people and forced them away in a hurry. Kimahri glowered at them and shunned them with his stare, finally granting the space they needed to walk along the platform and reach the safer portion of the dock. Still, the crowd swarmed about her, badgering her with questions of her presence in Bevelle and where she had been for ten years. She felt terrible not being able to answer with the complete truth, but did answer a few as best she could. Why did everyone have to show up now, though?

"Miss Yuna, what's it like being the daughter of the man who defeated Sin?"

"Well… it's no different than being the daughter to any father… I'm just as proud-"

"Lady Yuna! What brings you to Bevelle? Are you here on a pilgrimage?"

"I… well, yes… sort of…"

"Who are you traveling with? Just this Ronso? Is he your guardian?"

"Umm…"

"Yuna is here on official business to the Temple of Bevelle. She can answer your questions later." Auron interrupted the pestilence that was the mass of people, dividing them like tall grass on the Mi'ihen High Road. "It is imperative that she get there as soon as possible and you are impeding on that engagement. Move aside – Yuna, I will escort you to the Temple."

With great gratitude and relief, she accepted the gloved hand that reached to take her from her "adoring fans" and out of sight, Kimahri following close to keep any stragglers from tagging along. Yuna sighed liberally once she was a safe distance away and spoke, "Sir Auron… I thank you. I wish I had more control over my apparent popularity."

"Develop a stronger backbone and that will change someday," he advised, letting go of her hand and just allowing her to follow him through the considerably less crowded streets. Most of the people were at the dock, apparently, having heard that she was coming into port that morning.

"I'm sorry if I answered any of their questions with too much information," Yuna continued, still shy and uncertain of her actions. "After living in a place like Besaid where everyone knows everything about everyone, you're kind of used to telling them everything, even if it's considered personal."

Auron gave a half-smile for her naïve, but simple ways. "It's all right. You've been accustomed to that for some time now and you will learn on this journey to begin keeping things to yourself."

"Yes sir… I understand," was her humble reply. It was hard to believe that she was in the presence of the man who was last known to have seen her father alive. She felt it akin to meeting a celebrity. Well, technically Auron was a celebrity among Spira, but to her surprise, the people didn't flock to him like they did to her. Was that because they were used to seeing him in Bevelle, or was there another reason?

"I hope you don't mind, but Kimahri chose not to join us." Yuna added, their strides not stopping. "I read your letter to him, as well, but he was quick to decline the request. I'm sorry if this disturbs your plans."

Auron remained placid. "That is all right, as well. In fact, I figured he would say 'no'. However, I was glad to see that he joined you for the voyage here. I wouldn't have recognized you had he not been with you."

Yuna seemed to blush and giggled lightly. "Have… have I changed that much?"

"You're most certainly not seven years old anymore." Auron replied, not glancing at her. He knew she was blushing. He could sense it. That was a feeling he remembered a little too well…

"Oh… well, yes… I have grown up, you see. I wish I knew if I looked more like my father or mother, though."

Auron chanced a glimpse of her; the familiar light brown hair of Braska was evident, the dual blue and green eyes were obvious, and the way she carried herself… gracefully, much like her father. She was just as determined as Braska before her.

"I never had the chance to meet your mother," he said, slight remorse in his tone. "But according to Braska, you looked more like her than you did him. He talked about the both of you all the time."

Yuna found herself smiling brightly, instant cheer at the genuine praise her father was receiving from his former guardian. She had known Auron for a short time before he left with Braska on their pilgrimage, but saw from her youth that the two men were as close as they could be. Auron swore everything he had; his rank, his future and his life to the safety of his lord summoner, and she knew from the beginning what her father was meant to do in the end.

She bit her lip in curious thought, fending away those nagging questions on the tip of her tongue. She wanted so badly to inquire more about her father's final days. Did he cry in the end? Did he tell stories about their family life? Did he mutter her mother's name before he died? But she chose to not engage in such conversation so early when this was meant to be a happy occasion, though she found it somewhat curious as to why Auron was keeping it so quiet.

"We're almost there. Don't make eye contact with any of the monks or priests you see until I say so." Auron advised abruptly, causing her to turn her gaze down towards her feet. Sensing this, he chuckled and reached to grasp her hand for a brief second. "You don't need to hide your smile, just your identity for now."

Yuna laughed nervously and followed his lead quietly, not asking any more questions until they reached their destination of the Bevellian Temple. It was as large as she remembered, but the structure seemed more radiant today, the sun's rays bouncing off the glorified roof and casting out a golden road leading down the High Bridge, as if only for the Sent to travel on.

They passed many priests and warrior monks on the way, but at Auron's behest, she didn't make eye contact with them, though she retained her smile, therefore keeping things simple and clean. Auron meant for them to blend in and not appear suspicious. No one in this part of town should have recognized the matured form of Yuna, Auron was a local, and Kimahri was just too intimidating to approach. So they kept moving on.

Stopping at a secluded entryway near the back of the Temple, Auron moved to step forward. "Wait here," he said simply to the two that accompanied him. He then approached the high-collared man, much like his own strange collar, and shook hands with him. "Father Zuke…"

"Sir Auron, so is it time, now?" The man replied, voice slightly familiar, but Yuna couldn't place it.

"After ten years, yes. You know Yuna, I presume?" Auron said, stepping aside a little to allow the man to see his entourage.

"Yuna, it has been about a year, wouldn't you say?" Zuke said, giving the sign of prayer to the young woman.

When she recognized the shaved head and gentle eyes, Yuna gasped. "Father Zuke! Of course! Yes! You reside in Bevelle now, sir?"

Zuke nodded. "After my failed pilgrimage, I opted to serve the priesthood instead and hopefully repay the debt I owed to Yevon for my failure. Perhaps you will go farther than I did, though as I recall, Wakka and Lulu seemed grateful for my decision."

"Forgive me, your grace… but, I was glad, too… when they both returned to Besaid so soon." Yuna said shyly, but still smiled. It was true – when her two childhood friends had left Besaid to begin Father Zuke's pilgrimage a year ago, Yuna had cried selfishly for them to change their minds and stay on the island. Upon their return, she cried even more.

The man laughed to her surprise. "As I figured you would be. They both seemed too attached to life with you than accompanying me on my journey anyway."

"Oh dear! I'm so sorry if I caused-!"

"No, no it's all right." Zuke comforted, raising his hand to stop her pleas for forgiveness. "My own faith in myself was wavering when I took my first steps into these very trials you are about to face. My time as a summoner was short, and my pilgrimage was even shorter, but I shall place my faith in the two of you instead. Sir Auron? Shall we begin?"

Auron chuckled. "I see you got everything prepared for us. Normally this would take days to arrange."

Zuke went to open the door and laughed as well. "It did take days, Auron. But that is fine. Let's go and present you to the Temple priest."

As the group stepped inside the narrow entrance to approach the center of the temple, Kimahri refused his invitation and opted to stand outside. So the three went deep into what looked like the underground mole path of the temple, sparking curiosity once again to speak for Yuna.

"May I ask… why we are taking this route?"

"Because going through the 'front door' isn't a good idea for this temple." Auron told her plainly. "Having lived here in Bevelle for some time now, I am still seen as a retired monk. No one but Father Zuke knows what I've been doing with my time."

"Which came as quite the surprise, to be sure." Zuke laughed. "There is one problem going this way, though."

Yuna, nervous, clamored for her question. "And… that is?"

"To once again avoid leaving the obvious way, you may have to exit through the Via Purifico. This pathway is nowhere near the Cloister of Trials, but there is a secret path to get out of the cloister once you have prayed to the fayth, and it leads through the Purifico." Zuke informed them, reaching in his robes to pull out a glowing blue orb to hand Yuna. "Here, this is the sphere you will need to exit with. You'll know where to use it."

Taking the shining object carefully, she stared at it in wonder for a moment before tucking it away in her small travel pouch for safe keeping. But again she was wondering – why was Auron keeping this such a secret? Didn't he want the people to know of his decision? It may have caused the people to rejoice more than ever before.

A guardian turned summoner.

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_I hope you enjoyed the second installment of this story! I'm enjoying myself and look forward to continuing! Do leave a review if time allows you and thank you!_

_47thlight_


	3. Chapter 3 The Trials

_Ooo, hello again, my dears! Here's the third chapter for you! I hope you're enjoying it!_

_Sorry about the lack of separation on the last chapter, too. I have separations using a key this site doesn't support, and though I've been with with the site for years, I forgot all about the negated keys. So I'll be sure to fix that and change what key I use from here on._

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**Chapter 3 – The Trials**

Yuna was most grateful to have her nasal passage freed from the musty smell of mildew and stone once they reached the top of the stairs leading out of their "secret pathway". She suspected she would have to deal with it again, though, once they finished the Trials and went into the Via Purifico.

The door opened into a well-lit room filled with books, spheres and other scriptural guides; most likely a library of sorts and Zuke led them casually past the shelves of text, seeming as though the three were pilgrims already welcome in the temple. Some priests and nuns greeted them with the prayer, others in respectful nods. Yuna felt some of the pressure leave her heart and she began to relax. Perhaps the hard part was over?

They left the library and ventured into a glorified and wide chamber, filled with statues of the summoners past, and compelled to show respect, Yuna raced away to pray to the statue made in her father's image. She tried not to cry as she looked up into the emotionless gaze he bore, but one tear leaked from her eye. There was so much she wanted to say and do, but for the sake of Auron's secrecy, she forced herself to remain silent. Being stoic was not in her dictionary of thinking, especially where her deceased father was concerned.

Much to her surprise, though, both Father Zuke and Auron joined her in each showing their respect for the great man honored in stone form. While Zuke did the prayer, Auron was generous in kneeling at the foot of his lord summoner, at a loss for any other action besides such. Once a warrior monk, he knew nothing except Yevon and fighting – and in that order. But since traveling with Braska… his outlook had changed.

Yuna remained still with her head bowed reverently, whispering quiet words that were either prayers or gentle goodbyes to her father, and Auron felt compassion tug at his heart for the way she looked. He had forgotten for a moment that since living in Besaid, they most likely didn't have Braska's statue at the local temple, so seeing him like this for the first time must have been more than difficult. Still, there was much to be done and causing a scene was not wise.

He put his hand on her shoulder to coax her into coming along, speaking quietly to ease her grief, "When you are ready, we'll go onto the Trials."

She looked up into her father's frozen face once more and then turned to Auron with a sad smile. "I am ready. Let's go."

Zuke had been waiting patiently by the steps leading up to the Cloister of Trials, standing with a heavily robed man until the pair approached them. Once they were ready, he cleared his throat and spoke to the priest, "Father Zion, I would like to present Bevelle's newest summoner, Auron, and his chosen guardian, Yuna. With your permission, they would like to enter the Trials so that they might begin their pilgrimage."

The high priest looked at Auron and then at Yuna, studying them, though not judging. He knew little outside the Temple's walls, so their histories evaded him and thus he only knew what he saw.

"How strong is your resolve, lord Auron?" The priest asked, no sign of arrogance in his tone, just the search for truth.

"Strong enough." Auron answered candidly. "I have seen Zanarkand once. I know what I am up against."

The priest seemed surprised. "You… have been to the sacred city… and returned? Why did you not fulfill your mission?"

Auron sighed with regret, painful memories coming back. "My mission was completed, but promises are meant to be kept. I served High Summoner Braska as his guardian, and with Sin's return, I vowed to vanquish it again in his stead."

The man gasped and bowed shakily, his hands forming the sign of prayer once again. "F-forgive me, Sir Auron… I did not know who you were… Though I must say I'm surprised to see you have turned aside the use of your sword to seek a strength barely rivaling your own."

"You mistake me for an old man…" Auron groaned irritably. "I may be trained in the arts of summoning, but my skills as a swordsman will never leave me."

"I beg your pardon, sir…" The priest was struggling for a comeback, but opted to instead ask no further questions. "You have my permission and grace to enter the Trials. May Yevon be with you, Summoner Auron, and may your strength be with your guardian, as well."

As he bowed to let the pair pass, the door to the Trials opening at his command, Auron and Yuna exchanged farewells with Zuke. "Father Zuke, it was a pleasure to see you again…" Yuna said gracefully, bowing humbly in her prayer as the man smiled.

"The pleasure was mine, my dear. Should you see Wakka and Lulu on your journey, do tell them I have kept them in my prayers." He bowed in return and shook hands with Auron for the last time. "Auron… I wish you luck. You were a good student, though you had your faults, of course."

Auron stifled a boisterous laugh, recalling his rather humorous training under the priest in secret. He wasn't the type at all to heed the call of a summoner, but he focused hard on gaining the ability to speak in tones magical and sacred, thus granting him skills greater than what he was raised on. "Faults I still seek to correct. Goodbye, old friend. Thank you."

The two said no more as the men's hands let go of each other and Auron turned to Yuna to bid her on. "Let's go."

She wordlessly followed him into the Trials, taking in the peculiar sights around her. She was always under the impression that the Temple forbade the use of machina, especially within holy walls, but perhaps this machina was excused like the type used to support the sport of blitzball?

While Auron expertly went about leading them along in this strange maze of platforms and scrolling text she couldn't read, her mind wandered again to the questions she had earlier. There were so many, but where to begin? And what wouldn't disrupt his concentration? She thought long and hard on her choices and meekly tugged at his red sleeve.

"May I ask you something?"

"You just did," was his dry response.

"I… wait… no I didn't!" Yuna declared bravely, sensing the dry humor she remembered him having coming on.

" 'May I ask you something'-"

"What do you want to ask, Sir Auron?" She seemed more than eager to answer any questions he had.

He sighed and laughed. This was exactly how he did Jecht one day on the pilgrimage, teasing the older man in his own peculiar way. "I meant, that's what you said, and that's considered a question."

"I-!" Yuna stopped herself, thought about it, and then laughed finally. "Sir Auron, that's not very nice, you know."

His chuckling quieted as his tone returned. "What is it you want to know? Everything, I'm sure."

Her hand to her chest, she tried to recall her first question again, having lost it. This maze they were in was so much like how her mind felt at the time. She was going in circles. "Umm… well… why is it that you kept your summoner's training a secret to the Temple?"

Auron's good eye looked downward, having known she was going to ask that first. "Do you really think the Temple would have accepted me into training after serving as Braska's guardian? The hysteria and conflict would have been too meddlesome to deal with."

"Oh… so you felt you would have been treated differently?"

He snatched up a purple sphere from the recess and handed it to Yuna. "You could say that, yes. Much like you were treated just a while ago when you came into port."

Yuna felt a strange warmth from the orb and was slightly afraid of it. It seemed like it had a swirling mass of power in it, different than the others she had seen thus far in this Cloister of Trials. "But don't you think…if the people had known you were taking on the summoner's path that they would have supported you even more? I would think having the people of Spira backing you would be wonderful."

This time he didn't answer. He couldn't tell her, not just yet. She didn't know the heartache Braska went through having been a fallen summoner and thus treated as one in the temple they were presently in. Besides, it was a personal choice for him to not formally announce his title.

"You know…" she started, voice growing strong thinking of her father again. "When my father defeated Sin and all of Bevelle was celebrating, I knew then that he wasn't coming back to carry me through the streets in a parade like I had dreamed of. Instead, I cried and ran away from the crowds… I thought of nothing else except my father and it wasn't until I reached Besaid that I started thinking of what he may have wanted of me. I considered the same path he took, thinking that if it would please Spira, all of the workd would be worth it. But he used to encourage me to make my own path and follow it till it ended."

"Being the High Summoner's daughter and starting a pilgrimage of my own seemed like the right choice, but when Lulu and Wakka came back, I saw the relief on their faces." Yuna sighed, as if releasing a terrible burden that had resided on her heart for far too long. "I couldn't put them through that for my sake, not even if it meant bringing relief to the people of Spira."

Auron listened to her carefully, studying her words like the text he poured over under Zuke's tutelage. But one thing was nagging at him and he had to ask. "Why then did you accept my request to be my guardian?"

Yuna looked up at him, noticing that he was looking over his shoulder at her as they rode the lift to the final precipice of their Trial. "How could I refuse such an honor and privilege as to protect the mighty Sir Auron on his quest to destroy Sin?"

The childish smile he remembered her having ten years ago then faded from his memory, seeing instead the grin of a young woman, determined and gentle, standing beside him. She had her ways of manipulating a conversation, obviously. "Not satisfactory," he added with arrogant sarcasm, chuckling to himself.

She put her hands on her hips until he held out his hand for the purple sphere she had, but she refused to give it to him just yet. He raised an eyebrow at her, not amused with her playfulness this time and she conceded, giving him the orb so that he could complete the Trial. Much like she feared, once it was set in place, the sphere caused an explosion in the wall, revealing yet another secret path where she saw a distant treasure chest, but Auron waved it off and urged her to continue up the steps instead.

In silence, they stood before the entrance to the Chamber of the Fayth, Yuna's confidence in herself wavering now that Auron had cut her down a little. But he reassured her when he took his tinted spectacles off to set aside with his sword. "Yuna, in time you'll come to see through unclouded vision like mine. It took Braska and me quite some time to see things the way Jecht did, and on that day, we knew all the truth we needed. Answers will come eventually."

He then freed his left arm from the confines of his warrior's robe, unlatched his collar and thus looked both physically and emotionally free of all his armor. Was this how he prepared himself for his coming trial?

"I don't know how long this will take," he spoke, glancing briefly at the door opening for him, sensing his presence. "If I am not out of there in a day, I will not have survived. Don't come in after me. Leave the way we came and through the Purifico. They'll find me later."

Yuna gasped and reached to stop him, but he laughed. "I'm sure that won't happen now. Just wait here and hopefully I'll return with good news."

As he turned to step into the chamber, Yuna clasped her arms around his waist from behind and hugged him tightly, face buried in his shoulder blade. "Come now, this isn't a guardian's duty." Auron said, trying not to sound annoyed with her behavior.

"I'm sorry… I just…" Yuna stopped herself, stepped away and bowed respectfully to him. "May Yevon be with you, Sir Auron…"

"…Thanks."

* * *

_Getting interesting to write now, for sure! The next chapter's my favorite thus far and I hope you'll come back to read it! Thanks for your time!_

_47thlight_


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